The 10 Best Articles on Refugees and Migration 6/2018

February 14, 2018

Fear is still running high in Macerata following the attack on immigrants, but the town is still welcoming migrants. Meanwhile, the foreign press warns Italy about the threat of fascist groups spreading toxic narratives on migrants to gather support. Also: the security bill in Italy, a new report by Doctors Without Borders on reception centres, the immigration system in Germany and a look at Israel’s plan to deport thousands of African migrants.

2. The security bill, seen from Como

The city of Como is witnessing a division that runs across all of Italy, opposing those who envision a country founded on ideas of order and safety to those who seek to build community in the name of integration and welcoming. Luigi Mastrodonato reports from Como in an article for Internazionale, analysing the right wing’s platform of safety and decorum, while Gabriele Santoro reminds us of a time when Italians were seen as bandits and how, for decades, the foreign press depicted us as criminals.

6. Among the Rohingya refugees who are helping fight diphtheria

Going shelter to shelter in Bangladesh refugee camps, volunteer health workers from the Rohingya community are working every day to contain diphtheria. Since violence erupted in the Maungdaw area in western Myanmar, almost 700,000 Rohingya women, children and men have fled to Bangladesh, most seeking shelter at settlements where at least 5,000 cases of highly infectious respiratory disease have been reported. Last December, Open Migration met with some of them at the Kutupalong camp, near Cox’s Bazar.

7. The Israeli government plans to deport 20,000 African migrants

The government plan to send 20,000 migrants back to Africa by 2020 has sparked controversy, both within Israel and in the international community. Israeli newspaper Haaretz wonders about Israel’s duty, as a nation founded by refugees fleeing persecutions, towards migrants who are not Jews. The Washington Post has interviewed Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri.

8. Failed bipartisan deal to protect young immigrants caused a temporary government shutdown

10. In Spain, the Tarajal tragedy is still unpunished and migrants are still being pushed back

Four years have passed since the Tarajal tragedy, near Ceuta, when the Spanish Civil Guard violently repelled a group of migrants swimming towards the beach using rubber bullets and tear gas, resulting in at least 14 deaths. Today, the NGOs are still calling for proper investigation and the end of pushbacks in Spanish enclaves.